Luxury Holiday Cottages in South West England

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If you are looking for a part of the world where the pace of life slows down to a crawl and the local dialect sounds like a warm hug from a farmer, you have found it. South West England is the rugged, cream-tea-obsessed tail of the UK, and it is arguably the best bit. From the rolling hills of the Cotswolds to the dramatic cliffs of Cornwall, it is a place where you can get lost in history and then promptly get lost on a single-track road trying to find a pub.

The Cotswolds: Where Everything is Yellow
Start your journey in the Cotswolds. This is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is a posh way of saying it looks like the set of a period drama where everyone is about to break out into a dance. The houses are all built from that iconic honey-coloured stone, and towns like Castle Combe and Bourton-on-the-Water are so picturesque they almost feel illegal.

Just a heads-up: if you visit during the summer, you will be sharing the view with 5,000 other people, all trying to take the same photo of a bridge. My advice? Find a quiet bench, eat a scotch egg, and watch the tourists struggle to pronounce "Gloucestershire."

Bath: Roman Spas and Expensive Buns
Heading south, you hit Bath. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and for good reason. The Roman Baths are a must-see, though you can’t actually swim in them unless you fancy growing an extra limb from the ancient microbes. Instead, head to the Thermae Bath Spa to soak in the rooftop pool.
While you are there, grab a Sally Lunn bun. It is basically a giant, posh brioche. Is it worth the queue? Probably. Will you feel like a Georgian aristocrat while eating it? Absolutely.
The Wild West: Devon and Cornwall

As you push further west, the motorways disappear, and the hedges get suspiciously tall. This is the land of Dartmoor, where the ponies are wild and the mist is permanent. If you enjoy hiking and feeling like a character in a Sherlock Holmes novel, this is your playground.
Eventually, you will reach Cornwall, the kingdom of pasties and surf. You have to visit St Michael’s Mount, a tidal island with a castle on top. If the tide is in, you take a boat; if it is out, you walk across the causeway. If you get it wrong, you get wet feet and a very judgmental look from the locals.
The Great Cream Tea Debate

You cannot leave the South West without eating your weight in scones. However, be warned: there is a civil war happening here. In Devon, they put the cream on first and the jam on top. In Cornwall, it is jam first, then cream.
Pro tip: Whichever county you are currently standing in, swear blindly that their way is the only correct way. It is the safest way to ensure you get a second helping.

Whether you are surfing at Fistral Beach or staring at the mystery of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, the South West is a place that rewards the curious. Just remember to bring a raincoat, a sense of wonder, and a very small car for those tiny country lanes.